ArticleMsDesign.com » Web-design » Web Designers: How to Choose Which Clients to Take
Taking the wrong projects can be a detriment to the designer because it means they will be unable to take other work in it's place if a better opportunity comes along.
1. Budget
The most obvious thing that you will want to evaluate is if the potential client can afford your services. Most clients don't have experience with web design, and that usually means they will have unrealistic expectations about how much it should cost.
The price that you need to charge for a project will be directly tied to the amount of time and effort that it will require from you, and that will directly relate to the specifics of what the clients want. If you find that a project will take you much longer than can be justified by the client's budget, either pass on the job or present them with an option to compromise on some of the things they want.
2. Time Line
Almost every project will involve a deadline of some type. Larger projects may even have a number of deadlines or milestone dates that need to be met. In some cases the deadline may not be as firm, but the client will still have an expectation of when it will be complete.
If a client has a time line that simply isn't possible for you, let them know that it isn't going to work. Tell them when you think you would be able to get it done and see if they can accept this deadline. Otherwise, you could increase your pricing for the rush job, or walk away.
3. Fit Between the Project and Your Skills
Every designer is going to have his or her own unique strengths and weaknesses. Not every project will be a good fit for you. There will be some situations where you want to take a project for a learning experience, but in general it is best to take projects that are a good fit for your skills, and let the others pass.
4. Likes and Dislikes
In addition to having some specific strengths and weaknesses as a designer, you'll also have some types of work that you prefer and others that you really would rather not be involved with. Once you know the types of projects that you enjoy working on, make an effort to make this a higher percentage of your workload.
5. Schedule
Just like pricing is important, you should also put a lot of emphasis on your current workload. If you are already as busy as you can handle, don't take new projects or at least schedule them to be stated at some point in the future.
If you are too busy at the time, let the potential client know when you would be able to start, and see if they are able to wait for you.
Article Source: ArticleMsDesign.com
Steven Snell runs a popular web design blog that includes a web free design and development job board to help designers find work, and to help companies find the right designer.
by: Steven Snell Total views: 41 Word Count: 501 Date: Sat, 5 Dec 2009 Time: 9:33 AM 0 comments
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